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Chess 26 Jun 1959, Fri The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
Chess
The Guardian, Chess, Thursday, June 26, 1959, Greater London, England Problem No. 531 by C. R. B. Sumner...
Posted by Bobby Fischer's True History on Saturday, May 14, 2022
Problem No. 531 by C. R. B. Sumner (Sevenoaks).
Black (6)
White (8)
White mates in two moves.
FEN 8/2P1N3/6Nn/1q4p1/3Pk3/R5Q1/5B1K/3n3b w - - 0 1
Solution: 1. Rc3 Qb3 2. Qd3#
The Modern Alekhine
The wealth of combinative genius displayed by Tal at the age of 22 is only comparable with that of the young Alekhine, but although he is now generally reckoned to be the coming world champion, some of the other Russian grandmasters believe that the logicians like Smyslov and Petrosian will find unsound points in his combinations. Alekhine himself repeatedly came to grief in his early years against Capablanca and later against Euwe; so the most intriguing question of the coming candidates' tournament remains whether Tal's combinations can succeed consistently against grandmasters with opposite styles. Meanwhile, here is another brilliancy from the Zurich tournament.
Mikhail Tal vs Dieter Keller
Zuerich (1959), Zuerich SUI, rd 7, May-27
Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation (D44) 1-0
1. By a transposition of moves, the opening has reached Botvinnik's variation of the Slav Defence. The main line runs 7. P-K5 P-KR3; 8. B-R4 P-N4; 9. NxNP PxN; 10. BxNP QN-Q2; with great complications. The advantage, of Tal's actual move is that it poses his opponent an equally-testing, but more unfamiliar problem.
2. Here the Queen becomes exposed: sounder is 7. … B-Kt5.
3. The loss of another move in development permits White to inaugurate an immediate central attack. Black would have a better chance of getting his pieces into play by 9. … B-QN2; 10. O-O B-N5.
4. Typical Tal; he prefers a speculative sacrifice leading to a fluid position rather than allowing Black any chance to consolidate by 11. … N-Q2: followed by … O-O.
5. Black no doubt expected 14. N-K4, after which 14. … 14. … N-Q2; 15. PxP PxP halts the attack: but now he is plunged into incalculable combinations which, whatever their objective outcome, inevitably favour White under time limit conditions.
6. If 15. … PxKP; 16. NxP Q-B3; 17. B-R5ch K-K2; 18. N-B4, with a winning attack, for instance, 18. … N-Q2; 19. R-K1ch K-Q1; 20. R-K8ch K-B2; 21. N-K6ch.
7. If 16. … B-B3; 17. PxPch KxP; 18. QxPch, winning either the queen or the KR.
8. Now if 19. … PxP; 20. NxP BxN; 21. Q-K8ch.
9. Understandably enough, Black is anxious to achieve parity in development; but in doing so he underestimate the capacities of the advanced KP. Preferable is 20. … BxP; 21. N-B5 B-K3; 22. NxBch QxN; 23. B-B3 R-R2; 24. QR-N1 Q-B2; when although Black remains very tied up, there is no clear winning method available for White.
10. The tight-rope dance approaches its climax: if 22. … PxN; 23. QxPch B-N3; 24. PxB QxNP; 25. QxB, and Black's game collapses.
11. If 23. … RxB; 24. RxQ PxR; Black has temporarily three pieces for the queen, but after 25. Q-Q1 B-K3; 26. N-Q6ch. BxN; 27. QxB, the attack on the QN file is decisive.
12. Black has to give up his queen. If 25. … RxR; 26. N-Q4dis.ch. N-N5; 27. Q-Q7ch Q-B2; 28. RxNch BxR; 29. Q-Q5ch K-R2; 30. N-B6ch K-N2 (30. … QxN; 31. QxQ RxP; 32. Q-N6 mate), 31. NxBdis.ch. K-R2; 32. N-B6ch K-N2; 33. N-Q8db.ch. K-R2; 34. QxR RxN; 35. PxR(Q) QxQ; 36. QxBP, and White wins the ending—a long but practically forced variation.
13. Bewildered by the complications,. Black loses immediately. He could still put up a tough fight by 28. … RxP; 29. Q-Q5 B-R2; 30. QxQBP. R-QN1; 31. RxR BxR; 32. QxRP B-R2; although White should still win eventually after 33. Q-B4.
14. Appropriately, White's Trojan Horse pawn deals one final blow.
B.C.F. entries
Tuesday next week is the closing date for entries for the annual British Chess Federation congress at York (August 10-22). There are tournaments for all grades of players, and entry forms are obtainable from A. F. Stammwitz, 5 Clifford Road, Hounslow West, Middlesex.
